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Sell Us Your Books

****NOTE: We DO NOT buy books at our Inner Sunset location Green Apple Books on the Park (1231 9th Ave)****

When do you buy books, music and movies?

Green Apple buys books and movies (at 506 Clement) seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and on Tuesday and Wednesday until 8:00 p.m. We buy music seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (We are not currently buying at our new store, Green Apple Books on the Park).

What do you buy?

At Green Apple, we know that good used books are our lifeblood, so we pay top dollar for quality used books in every subject area. Because we see so many books (thousands a week!), we are selective about condition. And we do see way more books than we can possibly buy, so we basically buy on principles of supply and demand: if people still want to read it, and we don’t have too many, we’ll buy it. We also consider current textbooks for resale to a wholesaler. We cannot buy or make offers off of a list or over the phone/email.

What do you NOT buy?

Serial romances

Reader’s Digest condensed books

Books that are underlined or highlighted

Books that are out of date (older computer books, out-of-date travel guides, fad diet books no longer in demand, older business books, etc.)

How much do you pay for books?

There is no set formula for what we pay for books. It is based on supply and demand. That said, we pay very aggressively for the best books: the hottest bestsellers (while they’re hot), beautiful art books, quality cookbooks, graphic novels, collectibles, etc. Quality books that are in demand fetch top dollar. For more common books, we also pay competitively.

Do you pay in cash or in trade?

We usually offer both—your choice. Trade towards used books is 50% higher than cash, while trade for new (non-discounted) books is 25% higher than cash. We very occasionally offer trade only in some subject areas in which we get overloaded, like pocket books or young adult fiction.

What about music and DVDs?

We buy DVDs on the same schedule and principles as the books above. We buy music on LP and CD from 10-5 seven days a week. Again, we pay aggressively for the best CDs, LPs, and DVDs. While we can’t buy quite as widely as some bigger music stores, we do pay competitively to provide the best stock we can.

Do you travel to buy books?

Yes, on a very limited basis. Our buy counter is very busy, so we only travel for material we might not otherwise see. Again, quality is key, with your location being another factor. If you have more than 500 books (20 boxes), please request an outbuy here. Please include at least 10 photos representative of your collection with spines legible. And your phone number!

Will you take the books that neither of us need?

Yes and no. We have a limited amount of space in our free box on the sidewalk in front of the store—books left here will go to passersby in the neighborhood. But if you have too many to fit out there (more than two bags or small boxes), we recommend that you donate them to the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library or to a hospital, school, Goodwill, etc. of your choice.